But of course it doesn’t make quite as good of a story if it’s explained why states have only “used” 50ish% of its vaccines though. Oy!
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Signed up last week when our state opened registration to 65+. The news said 140,000 have signed up but they are getting 10,000 per week. Sigh. They won’t tell you where you are on wait list. Don’t call us, we’ll call you.
LMK how it goes!
Didnt the CDC request all vaccines go out for first doses asap, and that second doses could be delayed an additional 2 weeks beyond targeted date?
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I think everyone here is grateful for the vaccine and understands the challenges, no need to lecture. And, I believe you’ve had your first dose, correct? Some are not feeling so confident this will happen soon for loved ones which is understandable.
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Was not a lecture. Yes I’ve received my first shot. I also have loved ones who are older snd with health conditions who have not received their shots. For the record I’m interested in “we” not “me”.
I’m also interested in quieting speculation and bringing factual info to light - as much as it can be when each state has its own set of rules/challenges. And a fact is, we have a vaccine in less than a year and that is something to be very thankful for.
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I think that is what is troubling many-the hard part, the scientific research to combat the virus, is done beautifully. But the relatively easy supply chain roll out, the kind Amazon does all the time, overwhelms some state governments. So we are losing more people daily, not because we cant make medical breakthroughs, but because we cant physically deliver it quickly.
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^According to Fareed Zakaria,
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the incoming CDC director said that the CDC still recommends that localities follow the manufacturers recommendations, 21 and 28 days for Pfizer and Moderna, respectively. She added that they know that not 100% will be able to make the second shot on exactly that date, so they are suggesting that up to 2 weeks later could be ok.
But in reality, the EUA is based on 21/28 days, and any other timing is just speculation as to effectiveness.
btw: I don’t think delivery is the issue nationally, but finding the venue and volunteers/workers to jab arms. My county has plenty of vaccines in cold storage – delivered by Amazon and UPS – but just opened the first public jab site last weekend, and a second site yesterday.
Things are very slow in Oregon. Officially only HCW and nursing home residents have been eligible thought I have heard of others somehow getting jabbed. This week educators and child care workers become eligible then 80+ followed weekly by 5 year cohorts. However, the public health people are saying to know that being eligible doesn’t mean a shot will be available. InPortland the major health systems have united to have a vaccine center at the Convention Center. It can give 2000 shots a day. There are over a million people in the metro area. The math isn’t promising.
After the slow roll for people over 65 over February they are still deciding who will be next. Way back in this thread someone said “at least no one is trying to do this by racial groups or gender” Well Oregon is considering having BIPOC persons next and then essential workers and people with high risk conditions. It’s not decided yet, but I am not even in a phase at this point.
A recent newspaper article described the complexity of holding a mass vaccination site and the large number of volunteers needed.
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Our health department sent out info today saying that they get no advance notice on how many doses they will receive and when. Like most locations, they have gotten less than expected. Alarmingly, the email said they were getting fewer doses than they started out getting and by now, they were expecting a ramp up. They urged patience.
NY Times has a nice website that keeps track of who is eligible for the vaccine in each state, what percentage of each state’s population has been vaccinated and how many vaccinations are administered each day. It looks like the vaccination rate is ramping up.
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IME government and similar entities like NGOs and hospitals that operate without worrying about competition and going out of business (or losing employment) are very inefficient. I think we would have had a lot more people vaccinated had we turned over the vaccines to a competitive bid process with milestones, etc. As posted above, the government is good at writing checks and that is about it.
I was an auditor and the difference between auditing a corporation and a not for profit was astounding.
That being said, we are quite fortunate to have the vaccine and hopefully we can hold on longer.
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The article that @PacNWparent posted is a must read to understand the droves of people needed to have a vaccine site up and running - from the person who directs you to the line to the people sanitizing the pens and customer service areas to the people who are monitoring many people who are waiting their 15 minute post shot time.
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Yes, it is a logistical challenge. West Virginia is best succeeding in meeeting the challenge, apparently. It seems unlikely they have more qualified innoculators or financial resources than other states
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@bluebayou i agree, they need additional staff and sites for vaccine administration.
BUT…I know four nurses in four states, all currently licensed, who have volunteered to administer, and none of them have been called up to do so. So, if these states need staff, they aren’t doing a very good job of reaching out to those who can volunteer to help.
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I went ahead and registered myself and H on the local online pre-registration system. It just wanted our name, job title/employer, and a bunch of email/phone numbers so they can contact us when it’s available. No mention of number on a waitlist or where to go at this point. But it’s something. H got his 2nd shingles shot yesterday, so it would be best to wait 2 weeks now. Not that I think there’s a good chance he would see anything sooner.
My sister is a teacher in a nearby district. She got an email last night that said their district didn’t get near enough vaccines to cover 1b, so basically they are out of luck for a good long time. And suggested they try to contact their doctors to figure something out. But they only have a phone number to call. Good luck with that when you have to teach f2f all day and plan all night.
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Rollout in NJ is going terribly, too. They barely started on the 75+ group before opening up the next phase, which includes 65+, those 16-64 with underlying condition, and all smokers. It is impossible to get an appointment, there are a number of different ways to try, including a variety of waiting lists and places that release open slots once a day and you have to try to log on and grab one then. I still can’t get appointments for my 75+ parents.
My H is in the “underlying condition” group, and has been eligible since 1/14. We have tried everywhere, everyday, to no avail. Twice he was able to “grab” a slot, then go through an 11 step process (inputtting info) only to get to the last screen and be told, “whoops! Looks like someone else grabbed that spot.” 
I actually fired off an angry email over that one (I know, it will do no good, but it made me feel better in the moment). I mean, if ticketmaster can figure out how to let you hold a spot for 10 minutes while you complete transaction details, it seems like an appointment-based online system should have thought of that one, too.
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My county health department actually uses existing ticketing software. The appointments are issued like online tickets. Smart for them to not reinvent the wheel.
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